The Falcons bolstered their notoriously poor offensive and defensive fronts, while the Bucs roped in some of the best defensive players available for new head coach Lovie Smith.

The Panthers weren’t active in signing new players, but rather in watching their own players leave. Two more Carolina offensive linemen retired -- Geoff Hangartner and Jeff Byers, joining left tackle Jordan Gross.

And the Panthers were on the verge of either trading or cutting long-time top wideout Steve Smith, reports said. Carolina’s three other top receivers (Ted Ginn Jr., Dominik Hixon and Brandon LaFell) became free agents Tuesday. We thought they were joking when they said quarterback Cam Newton was a one-man wrecking crew.

Regarding quarterbacks, they remain the most valuable players in pro football. But few good ones ever become available in free agency, and this year was no different.

That’s not true of the men who protect them, and the most lucrative deals Tuesday went to offensive linemen. The top five stuffed their pockets with $178 million total, courtesy of their new teams. (See accompanying list.)

In a late-night deal, the Denver Broncos awarded Aqib Talib the biggest contract of the day. Shortly after 11 p.m., ESPN reported the former New England Patriots cornerback signed a six-year, $57 million contract with $26 million guaranteed.

Earlier in the night, top free-agent cornerback Alterran Verner, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, signed with the Buccaneers for $26.5 million over four years, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported.

That almost certainly means the Bucs will soon trade or cut perennial Pro Bowl corner Darrelle Revis. With the loss of Talib, the Pats are primed to make a push for Revis, according to ESPN.

All of the top safeties signed found new homes by mid-evening.

Everybody’s No. 1 safety, quarterback nemesis Jairus Byrd of the Buffalo Bills, was the last of the top tier player without a contract. But by 9:30 p.m. Byrd scored big with the New Orleans Saints, signing for six years and $54 million, $28 million of which is guaranteed, according to multiple reports.

On a crazy afternoon and evening of signings, re-signings, salary-cap casualties and even one puzzling trade -- the San Francisco 49ers acquiring epic-fail quarterback Blaine Gabbert from Jacksonville for a sixth-round draft pick -- defensive linemen and pass rushers were nearly as in hot demand as O-linemen.

As expected, former Cincinnati Bengals standout end Michael Johnson scored big, agreeing to a five-year, $43.8-million deal with those busy, defence-bolstering Bucs; $24 million of it is guaranteed.

Where some of the top unsigned free agents plan to visit, according to reports:

* Josh McCown, QB, with TB, Hou, NYJ (nee Chi)

* Jairus Byrd, S, with NO (nee Buff)

* Jermichael Finley, TE, with Sea (nee GB)

* Golden Tate, WR/PR, with Det (nee Sea)

* Jared Allen, DE, with Den (nee Minn)

* Jason Hatcher, DT, with Sea (nee Dall)

* Willie Young, DE, with Jax (nee Det)

* Nolan Carroll, CB, with Buff (nee Mia)

* Corey Graham, CB, with Wash (nee Balt)

* Antonio Smith, DE, with Wash, Tenn, StL, Oak (nee Hou)

* Jacoby Jones, KR/WR, with NYG (nee Balt)

* Walter Thurmond, CB, with Jax (nee Sea)

* Evan Dietrich-Smith, C, with TB (nee GB)

* Austin Howard, OT, with Oak (nee NYJ)

* Dekoda Watson, LB, with Jax (nee TB)

3. RE-SIGNED

Players who re-signed with their previous teams just before, or just after, becoming free agents:

OFFENCE

* Matt Cassel, QB, Minn

* Peyton Hillis, RB, NYG

* Joique Bell, RB, Det

* Darren McFadden, RB, Oak

* Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Ind

* Leon Washington, RB, Tenn

* Andre Caldwell, WR, Den

* Santana Moss, WR, Wash

* Anthony McCoy, TE, Sea

* Mike Caussin, TE, Buff

* Eugene Monroe, LT, Balt (5 years, $37.5M)

* Jamon Meredith, G, TB

* Joe Hawley, C, Atl, DT, Ariz

DEFENCE

* Eric Wright, CB, SF

* Will Blackmon, CB, Jax

* Vontae Davis, CB, Ind

* Stevie Brown, S, NYG

* Perry Riley, LB, Wash

* DJ Williams, LB, Chi

* Everson Griffen, DE, Minn

* Jonathan Babineaux, DT, Atl

* Frostee Rucker, DT, Ariz

SPECIAL TEAMS

* Adam Vinitieri, PK, Indy

* Phil Dawson, PK, SF

* Dan Carpenter, PK, Buff

* Donnie Jones, P, Phi

* Brandon Tate, KR, Cin

* Nick Folk, PK, NYJ*

*-signed 4-year deal after getting franchise-tagged last week

4. DUMPED

Notable players who became free agents -- most unexpectedly -- when their teams cut them on Tuesday:

OFFENCE

* Kevin Kolb, QB, Buff (failed physical)

* Justin Forsett, RB, Jax

* Miles Austin, WR, Dall

* Daryn Colledge, G, Ariz

* Kyle Cook, C, Cin

* David Baas, C/G, NYG

* Owen Daniels, TE, Hou (failed physical)

DEFENCE

* Carlos Rogers, CB, SF

* Brice McCain, CB, Hou

* DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Dall

* Thomas DeCoud, S, Atl

* Patrick Chung, S, Phi

* Cortland Finnegan, CB, StL

* Julius Peppers, DE, Dall

49ERS TRADE FOR ... GABBERT?!

The craziest transaction Tuesday? No question, it was the San Francisco 49ers trading for Blaine Gabbert.

Right, THAT Blaine Gabbert.

He’s one of the more spectacular first-round quarterback busts of the young century. In three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gabbert played terribly -- way over his head -- at least when he wasn’t injured. These stats don’t lie: a 66.4 career passer rating, thanks largely to a 22-to-24 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

But the Niners evidently want him to back up Colin Kaepernick, as last year’s backup Colt McCoy has become a free agent.

Niners general manager Trent Baalke surrendered a sixth-round draft pick for Gabbert, just three years after the Jags selected him 10th overall (one pick before Houston nabbed J.J. Watt).

Many fans on Twitter thought Baalke overpaid.

Before you point at the Niners and laugh, take a look at what head coach Jim Harbaugh did with Alex Smith and Kaepernick.

On the fourth year of his rookie contract, Gabbert is set to earn $2.01 million in 2014 -- about double what Kap will earn in his.

LINEUPS FOR VICK, McCOWN

No quarterbacks were signed in the first three hours of free agency Tuesday.

But there were reports indicating where the widely regarded top two pivots available -- Michael Vick (nee Philadelphia Eagles) and Josh McCown (nee Chicago Bears) -- might wind up.

The three teams expected to pursue Vick the hardest, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, were the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders.

As both the Jets and Bills have quarterbacks who struggled as rookies in 2013 -- Geno Smith (New York) and EJ Manuel (Buffalo) -- Vick likely is seen by those teams first as someone to push their young incumbent, and second as a viable replacement off the bench.

Vick’s best chance to start likely would be in Oakland, as the Raiders appeared to sour on both third-year vet Terrelle Pryor and rookie Matt McGloin last year. Nagged by a hamstring injury in ’13, Vick lost his starting job on the Eagles to Nick Foles.

As for McCown, per multiple reports he has visits lined up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans and the Jets -- in that order. In mid-season relief of Jay Cutler, McCown threw 13 touchdowns and only one interception.

REVIS VOTED OFF ISLAND?

Not even a year after the New York Jets traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it looks like Darrelle Revis will be on the move again.

Widely regarded as the NFL’s top cover cornerback -- at least before he blew out an ACL in September 2012 -- Revis probably will be cut Wednesday if the Bucs can’t work out a trade, according to multiple reports.

Why would the Bucs, under new defensive head coach Lovie Smith, even consider parting with Revis?

Because Smith is a practitioner of the Tampa-2 defence, which demands its cornerbacks play off receivers in deep-dropping zones, rather than in press-man coverage -- Revis’ forte.

Revis reportedly refused to restructure the remaining five years of his contract with the Bucs, in which he’ll earn an average salary of $16 million.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Oakland and Cleveland were reported to be the likeliest trade partners. Both have ample cap space to add Revis. But later Oakland pulled out.

The Browns already have one of the league’s top cover corners in Joe Hayden. While they lost hard-hitting box safety T.J. Ward Tuesday in free agency to Denver, they signed Donte Whitner.

New Browns head coach Mike Pettine must be salivating at the prospect of adding Revis to that mix.

ONLY GUARANTEED MONEY MATTERS

Ace pass rushers DeMarcus Ware and Julius Peppers -- axed by their teams Tuesday -- are living proof of the NFL’s truest axiom with player contracts.

The only number that matters in any gi-normous free-agent deal is the amount of fully guaranteed money. Period. The rest is just wishful thinking.

Every season, the big-money free-agent signees of years past wind up as cap casualties. There are a slew of new examples.

While some were shocked that the Dallas Cowboys dumped Ware, their most impactful defender, the team saved $16 million against the salary cap by doing so.

Ware had signed a seven-year, $79-million deal in 2009 and subsequently restructured it twice -- that is, he pushed chunks of cash farther into the future. At least he earned most of the cash.

Peppers signed a six-year, $92-million deal with the Chicago Bears in 2010 -- $42 million guaranteed. He restructured it last September, to lighten the Bears’ 2013 salary-cap load.

Peppers’ contract was typical of the big-dollar deals, with most of the salary money backloaded. He earned $20.6 million of salary in four years, and just waved bye to $30.4 million over the voided final two years.

Ware and Peppers weren’t alone Tuesday.

The St. Louis Rams officially cut cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who two years ago less two days signed a five-year, $50-million free-agent deal, with $27 million guaranteed. Expensive two years for the Rams.

Similarly, cornerback Carlos Rogers re-signed with the San Francisco 49ers two years ago, for $31 million over four years. The club cut him Tuesday, saving $6.6 million against the cap this season alone.

And the Eagles released safety Patrick Chung, just 364 days after signing him to a three-year, $10-million deal. Only $3 million was guaranteed. Philly voided 100% of the remainder -- the “wishful thinking” portion of the deal -- Tuesday.